126 Unexpectedly, Honey

She put some thought into getting him a gift without even knowing when they would see each other again, so it touched him. And not only that—the message she wrote on the card was from the truth or dare game they had back on the island. It was when he answered her question… before she dared him to kiss her.

It was undeniable that what they had back on the island meant something to her as much as it did for him. And it was frustrating where they were at the moment—confusing and messy.

Angela didn't answer his invitation. She let out a small sigh and walked over to where he was, picking up the Jaeger-LeCoultre watch box and held it in her hands. "I… I don't know why I bought this. I was out with Nina and passed by the shop…" She smiled softly. "I was going to return it a few weeks ago, but I realized I couldn't do that." Clearing her throat, she handed the box to him. "Here…"

"Thank you." Gael received the box and thought about opening it, but her phone's ringing caught their attention. He glanced at her phone and saw 'Vincent Stone' on the caller I.D, making his jaw tick.

"Excuse me," she said as she walked back to her bed and answered the phone call.

"Angela, how are you feeling?" Vincent asked as soon as she picked up.

"I'm feeling better, thank you. I haven't had the chance to respond to your texts—my battery died on me earlier."

"That's okay. Have you eaten? Should I bring you some food? I'm around the neighborhood, and I don't mind dropping by."

Angela took a quick look at Gael who was still by her vanity dresser. He was gazing back at her with an unreadable expression, crossing his arms in front of his chest and tilting his head. She subconsciously rubbed her nape and looked away, slightly feeling conscious that he watched her like a hawk.

"It's okay, Vincent. Don't worry about me. Actually… I'm a little busy right now. I have some stuff to take care of. Can I talk to you tomorrow?" she responded.

"Sure. I'll be in a meeting in the morning… but feel free to call whenever." 

The phone call ended right after they said goodbye. She absent-mindedly tapped her phone onto her palm as she turned to face Gael again and went over to the box of books next to him.

"Was that the guy you had lunch with?" he probed, in which she nodded.

"Why didn't you tell him?" he questioned while watching her try to lift the box. Then he stopped her and carried it himself. "Where?"

A small smile danced on his lips as though he had won something that Rock couldn't. Although it wasn't intentional for Angela to have Gael here, he still came and was here when she needed help. He was lucky that she picked up when he called her again—and that he rushed here. At least that worked out pretty well in his favor.

Gael helped her unload the books. He hadn't seen this book yet, so he figured that it must be her recent one. "Chasing Summer," he muttered the title of the book that was written in fancy font. The cover had a woman in a yellow dress facing the beach with the name 'Galatea K.S.' written at the top of the book. It had a really cool and carefree vibe to it—quite different from the first three books that she released in the past.

"Why chase summer?" he wondered.

"Oh…" Angela smiled. "It's not the season. Summer is the woman's name." 

She managed to reach the last books at the bottom, and she pouted when she saw one book was partly damaged by the water that seeped through the box it was in. It was still readable, but the back cover and a few of the last pages got wet. "Oh, no…" Sighing, she clicked her tongue as she got up. "I guess I can't give this away now..."

"What are you going to do with it?"

"This batch was for next month's release—hopefully when the story will be available in the app. I don't know. I'll have to ask Samantha when it's final. This is supposedly exclusive for a few avid readers… But I can't give it like this." She sighed again, wiping the back of the book with her shirt. Her heart ached, seeing that it was damaged—a part of her died a tiny bit.

Seeing her looking so gloomy, Gael's heart throbbed. It was evident that Angela cared about her book a lot. 

"Can I have it?" he asked.

She snapped her head towards him in confusion. "You want my book?"

He silently nodded in all seriousness. Then a smile broke on his face. "I'm curious how Summer ends up with whoever this creep is who's chasing her."

Hesitantly, she handed the book to him. "Okay then…"

Gael helped Angela set the books aside. Once everything was kept away, they went back to her bedroom to get her bag, and then she faced him. "Thanks for your help… I don't know what would have happened if you weren't here." She offered a small smile, unsure of what to do now that things had calmed down. She covered her mouth when she coughed once. "I should probably get going—"

"I was serious earlier. Why don't you stay with me?" he probed.

"I don't think that's a good idea…"

"Why not?"

"Because…" Angela shrugged. There was so much to say, but she couldn't tell him everything. And because she felt the pressure, she blurted without thinking, "We both went out on dates today. What about your girlfriend?" She rolled her eyes and looked away.

He shook his head and answered confidently, "What are you talking about? I don't have a girlfriend."

"That woman from lunch? If she isn't your girlfriend, then who is she? And why were you so comfortable with her?" 

She managed to sound somewhat curious—instead of jealous.

"She's my sister." Gael chuckled. No matter how hard she tried not to sound jealous, he knew she was.

"Oh…" Angela thought it made sense that they were comfortable having lunch together. His sister was just so pretty that she couldn't help feeling uneasy. Clearing her throat, she probed, "I thought your sister was in New York?"

"She flew in this morning. I told you I had something to take care of. I was actually on my way to the airport then," he replied. 

She stared at him as if she was trying to make sense of something but was still confused. "What is it?" he gently prompted.

Angela contemplated for a second. She never wanted to be that woman who bombards thousands of questions to men. But this time, she really wanted to clarify. "Do you call your sister 'Honey'? Was she the one who had been calling you back on the island?"

Gael slightly narrowed his eyes at her, studying her expression. After a moment of silence, he wordlessly stuffed the watch box and book into her overnight bag before zipping it close. Grabbing the bag and her hand, he told her, "Come with me."

…

Gael's House

Angela did not know how she got here. Since she and Gael left her apartment and got in his car, he hadn't spoken a single word. Oddly enough, she trusted that she was safe with him. The night was already dark, and although she should have, she honestly could not remember the path they took to get here. Her mind was blank the whole time as if she was on auto-pilot.

"Is this… your house?" she finally asked as they stepped inside the foyer of an empty house. It was clean… but empty. 

"Sort of." He held her hand as they climbed up the stairs to the second floor.

When they stood in front of what she thought was the door to a bedroom, she whispered, "What are we doing here?"

"Honey… I'm home," he announced, ignoring her question as he opened the door.

Angela widened her eyes upon hearing him. Was he nuts?! Why the hell was he—

Her train of thoughts was interrupted when Gael bent down, and her eyes landed on what she didn't expect to see at all. She watched as he got to his feet and faced her. A small furry dog cradled in his arms licked his face as he smiled and said, "Angel… meet Honey."